The cable television industry has been plagued by individuals who attempt to steal television signals and thus gain access to television programming which the individual did not pay for. The prior art is replete with attempts to increase the security of such television signals. Unfortunately, no single approach has proven entirely satisfactory.
Traditionally, a raw signal containing multiple television channels is transmitted through a coaxial cable. When connecting a subscriber's television service, a cable technician first identifies which channels the subscriber has paid for. The technician then selects an appropriate filter. As would be known by one skilled in the art, filters are also referred to as traps. Such a filter removes (or “traps”) those frequencies which the subscriber has not paid for, and thus produces a processed signal that contains only those channels which have been paid for. By selecting which filter is used, the technician permits the subscriber to view only predetermined channels. The aforementioned description is illustrative of one type of filter. Other suitable filters would be apparent to one skilled in the art, and are contemplated for use with the present invention.
Filters/traps are located at the cable television “tap” which is located just outside of the house, in one of two locations—at the telephone pole or in a pedestal on the ground. Traps that block signals are not located in the house.
In the first approach the cable provider attempts to prevent access to the filter itself by foiling any attempt to disconnect the filter from the coaxial cable. Examples of such approaches include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,543,606 to Schaer (Security Device for Cable Television); 4,097,897 to Tanner et al. (Secured Scramble Decoder Filter); 6,476,688 to Palinkas (Filter Assembly); 4,806,116 to Ackerman (Combination Locking and Radio Frequency Interference Shielding Security System for a Coaxial Cable Connector); 5,036,161 to Sachs (Top Shield Arrangement for Filter Traps); 4,676,569 to Lambert et al. (Protective Cover for Cable Television Distribution Taps); and the like. The content of each of the aforementioned patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
In the second approach, the cable provider attempts to prevent disconnection of the connectors that transmit the cable signal (i.e. prevent removal from the tap). Examples of such approaches include U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,059,880 to McMaster (Coupling Device for Coaxial Cable and Communication Applications); 7,086,877 to Abbott (Terminator Locking Cover System); 6,848,920 to Fox (Method and Assembly for Connecting a Coaxial Cable to an Externally Threaded Connecting Part); 6,491,546 to Perry (Locking F Terminator for Coaxial Cable Systems); 5,273,444 to Down et al. (Tamper-Resistant Cable Terminator System); 4,824,386 to Souders (Security Connector Assembly for Mating Coaxial Connectors); 4,469,386 to Ackerman (Tamper-Resistant Terminator for a Female Coaxial Plug); 4,168,921 to Blanchard (Cable Connector or Terminator); 4,163,594 to Aujla (Electrical Connector); and the like. The content of each of the aforementioned patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
To successfully stop an attempt to modify a television signal, a cable technician will often use both methods simultaneously. Unfortunately, the use of multiple security devices produces further complications. To install or remove such a security device, a specialized tool is often necessary. When two such devices are necessary (a first device to protect the filter and a second device to protect the connector), then the technician must be equipped with two separate tools and separate shielding assemblies. This increases the expenses of the cable provider and thus increases the cost of the cable services so provided. Some attempts to provide multipurpose device has been made. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,297,972 (Coaxial Cable Connection Protection System) and 5,486,120 (Coaxial Cable Connection System with Multiple Chambered, Flexible-Webbed Shroud), both to McMills et al., teach a shielding assembly that can be adapted to house either a connector or a filter. Unfortunately, McMills does not provide a single device capable of both, thus multiple devices are still necessary.
Therefore, a shielding assembly that secures both the connector and the filter is desired.
A shielding assembly is also desired which permits the technician to select whether the filter is non-rotatably engaged with the security shield or rotatably engaged.
Further, a shielding assembly that can be easily assembled and disassembled using specialized tool is desired. When the filter is non-rotatably engaged, a single specialized tool may be used to access the assembly. When the filter is rotatably engaged, then two specialized tools are used to access the assembly. Preferably, the two specialized tools are identical.